Adam Stegerwald

General secretary of the federation of Christian trade unions of Germany from 1903 to 1929

Chairman of the Christian German trade union confederation from 1919 to 1929

Member of the National Assembly and the Reichstag

Prussian Minister-President from March to November 1921

Became Reich Minister of Transport from 1929 to 1930

Reich Minister of Labor from 1930 to 1932

Stegerwald joined the Center Party in 1896 and started his career in politics as a functionary in Christian unions. In 1903, he became the general secretary of the federation of Christian trade unions of Germany and stayed in office until 1929. As a Christian unionist, he promoted anti-Bolshevist policies and tried to counter the influence of the Free Unions. Alongside his work as a unionist, he took on various offices in the Prussian government, including a short stint as Prussian Minister-President in 1921. In 1929, he became Transport Minister in Reichskanzler Müller’s Grand Coalition. In Brüning’s cabinet, he served as Labor Minister. As a fervent catholic, he opposed the Nazi regime during the Third Reich. At the same time, he called for tempered opposition, so as to avoid retaliation from the Nazis.